Kitchen Renovation Costs in Spain: €1,500 to Over €25,000

Kitchen Renovation Costs in Spain: €1,500 to Over €25,000

Chipping away the floor, removing tiles, replacing plumbing and electrical installations, and installing a porcelain countertop. This is where many buyers of second-hand apartments in Spain start when facing an 8-square-meter kitchen renovation. The typical budget hovers around €15,000, leaving owners unsure if it is enough or too little. Experience suggests the answer depends less on square meters than on what each person defines as a "new kitchen".

Cost of an 8 m² Kitchen Depends on Who Does It

Estimates discussed range from €1,400 for basic furniture without installation to over €25,000 for a complete renovation with layout changes. In between lies almost everything. Industry professionals quote a range of €750 to €1,500 per square meter, depending on finishes and whether pipes, taps, or lighting need moving. For eight meters, this puts the basics at €5,000-€6,000, mid-range quality at €8,000, and over €10,000 including appliances. Including VAT, even the cheapest options reach ten thousand.

Against this, there is the DIY route. Buying carcasses, doors, hinges, and knobs separately and assembling them yourself or with help. Circulating calculations suggest €700-€800 for carcasses and doors, plus hardware, countertop, and tap. Total: between €1,000 and €1,500 excluding appliances. Those who have done it defend it proudly: "It's not beautiful, but functional and durable".

Granite, Porcelain, or Wood Countertops: Material Debate

Porcelain is presented as the hardest and most resistant, though also the most expensive. Granite is dismissed as porous by some. Wood is ruled out due to scratches, temperature sensitivity, and porosity. Counterarguments appear quickly: some claim stone countertops are "grossly overpriced" and that a hard wood surface works just as well, with the advantage that replacing it costs a fraction. Synthetic stone brands like Neolith and Techlam are also suggested as technical alternatives. No one settles the issue definitively.

The Kitchen as a Social Marker: Weddings, Islands, and Appliances

The most common comparison is with weddings: you can go into debt for €50,000 or marry for €5,000, and both have a reception. Kitchens work the same way. Some argue actual spending isn't set by function but by expectations regarding guests. Figures thrown out casually: €8,000 to €20,000 if the kitchen needs to impress. The counterpoint: money saved on a "show-off" kitchen pays for much more interesting things.

What You Really Pay For: Construction, Installations, and Full Service

The difference in budgets isn't in the furniture. It's in whether you need to lift the floor, lower the ceiling with plasterboard and spotlights, move radiators, add a tap for the dishwasher, or change the electricity. Those who have been through it describe the "full-service mode": the company handles everything from construction to final details, and the client only chooses. Costs skyrocket. Those who reuse appliances—a Miele dishwasher, a Saeco coffee machine—and convert a garden door into a window to gain U-shaped counter space adjust their budgets significantly.

The Future Kitchen: Ready Meals and Microwaves

There is a thesis beyond budget: fully equipped kitchens are destined to disappear. With no time to cook, no desire to clean, and fresh food shopping not worthwhile for one or two people, real use reduces to heating ready meals. Under this scenario, spending on marble or titanium is wasting money. The answer is simple yet uncomfortable: with a hob, a bench with slab, and a tap, you already have a kitchen.

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A budget of €15,000 allows for a complete renovation of eight meters with medium-quality finishes. It also covers three functional kitchens if you accept composite materials and skip the island. The difference between them isn't marked by square meters. It is marked by what each person wants their guests to think when they walk in for coffee.